r/firelookouts • u/No_Kitchen_9581 • Apr 15 '25

Lookout News USFS March lookout listings

Just hoping for some insight with these job postings and results. I applied to every listing in the beginning of march on usajobs and was referred to them about 3 weeks ago. I then received an interest check from the Northern California positions. I am still waiting on response from the interest check as well I haven’t received any response from any other location. Wondering if anyone else applied and how their process is going. Thank you in advance.

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u/JickleBadickle Apr 15 '25

Network

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u/Sensitive_Implement May 19 '25

No, It's an HR process.

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u/JickleBadickle May 20 '25

Technically, it is, yes.

However, in my experience, a good portion of people hired for lookout jobs or similar positions in wildland fire suppression are people that battalion chiefs or captains knew ahead of time. Relatives of people who work there, friends of friends, volunteers/professionals they had already met, etc.

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u/Sensitive_Implement May 20 '25

But that kind of "referral" isn't what was being discussed. When the OP said they were referred, they meant HR referred their application to the hiring official(s).

It's not a technicality. If HR doesn't refer their application, they don't get the interview or the job, no matter how many of the other kinds of "networking referrals" they get. You may know that, I'm just trying to make it clear for the person who asked.